Blood and Fangs
by Nerdlydelicious
Summary: When Jaune had been ambushed by a horde of Grimm in the forests surrounding Vale, he hadn't expected to awaken surrounded by people with crimson eyes, fangs, and an aversion to sunlight. Their leader, a bear of a man named Hazel, offers Jaune a chance to join them and become powerful. Faced with this choice Jaune must ask himself what is more important: his humanity, or revenge?
1. Chapter 1

**HEEEEEEEELLLOOOO! Those of you reading this who are caught up on my other story, "Jaune Arc, Gryphon Knight," will know that this story is the one that will be replacing "The Vagabond".**

 **Now some context for how I thought up this story. This was inspired by a one shot where Weiss was a vampire who drains Jaune of all his blood, killing him. Unfortunately I can't for the life of me remember the name of the story, or the name of the person who wrote it, but if anyone knows I would be grateful if they could tell me over a review on this story or a pm so I can give credit where it's due.**

 **Though that story was inspiration for this and Vampires are involved in both stories that is where the similarities end. In this story Weiss is a normal person, not a Vampire. Jaune on the other hand... well, you'll see. This story begins immediately after the girls of team RWBY along with Ren and Nora are evacuated out of Beacon and into Vale, after Pyrrha's death. Jaune is already there, as he was launched into the city via rocket locker. Fair warning for those of you who haven't seen at least the first episode of volume 4. I will be utilizing a character introduced in the first episode of volume 4, and at least mentioning some other characters throughout this story.**

 **With all that out of the away, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

Jaune shoved his way through the crowd of people surrounding the bullhead landing pads as the last Bullhead from Beacon landed.

She had to be on there! She had to be! That light, whatever that had been, had frozen that big Grimm, which meant that it could have also stopped that woman and saved Pyrrha, right?

He broke through the crowd just as the doors on the airship opened and the passengers exited. First to come out was some old huntsman wearing a short red cape with slicked back black hair, who was holding an unconscious Ruby in his arms. "Ruby!"

"She's alright kid," said the huntsman as Jaune ran up to them, "just exhausted."

"Jaune!" The blonde turned towards the familiar voice of Nora, who was supporting Ren in getting out of the bullhead even as he did the same for her. Jaune ran over to the two of them and wrapped his arms around them, pulling them in tightly.

"I'm so glad you're both okay," he said. He released them and watched as more people stepped out of the airship, but none of them had the vibrant red hair of his partner. He turned to his teammates. "Where's Pyrrha? Did she take an earlier Bullhead?" She had to have. That was the only possible answer for why she wasn't with them.

His two teammates looked away from him, but he could see the tears in their eyes. _"No, please. Don't let it be true."_

A gentle hand on his shoulder drew his attention, and he turned to see Weiss standing next to him, her hand on his shoulder. If his mind hadn't been a swirling mass of disbelief and denial he would have been confused by the contact from the heiress, who even after he had stopped trying for her attention after the dance hadn't said more than two words to him. As it was all he could think about was where Pyrrha was, and why she wasn't on the Bullhead. Weiss stared at him for a few seconds, then looked away and softly said. "I'm sorry Jaune. Ruby and I, we tried to save her, but..."

No.

No no no no no no no _no no no no no no._ It couldn't be... She couldn't be... not her, not Pyrrha, not the invincible girl.

But he saw the truth in the eyes of his teammates and Weiss.

She was gone. He had failed.

Without a word or sound he turned away and ran, shoving his way through the crowd as he went. His friends' voices called his name out, but he didn't stop. He just kept running and running.

He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know when he would stop. All he knew was that he needed to put Beacon as far behind him as possible. It wasn't until he tripped and collapsed to the ground that the he stopped. He pushed himself up, his lungs burning as he took in deep gulps of air and looked around himself.

He was in the forests surrounding Vale. He didn't know how he had gotten there in what felt like only seconds to him, but somehow he had. He looked back at the city of Vale and the school of Beacon, which were just discernible through the trees. The dragon was still there, frozen atop the ruins of Beacon tower.

That was where Pyrrha had died.

The realization hit him like a train as it all finally sank in. Pyrrha Nikos, the invincible girl, his partner, who had confessed her love to him and given him his first kiss in one fell swoop, was dead. The tears began to fall then as sobs racked his body. His throat constricted as the he sobbed, making it impossible for anything greater than ragged gasps to pass his lips.

A snarl cut through his grief, and he turned to see a single Beowulf stalking towards him on all fours, its snarling maw dripping with saliva as it slowly stalked towards him.

As he stared at the Beowulf Jaune's grief turned to raw fury, and he drew Crocea Mors and deployed the shield on his arm. He flung himself at the Grimm, howling like a mad man. Surprised by the sudden assault the Grimm had no time to do little more than die as Jaune buried the blade up to the hilt in its neck, severing its spinal column and killing it almost instantly. Jaune wrenched the weapon free and sank it into the Grimm again, then again and again and again as he hacked its body to pieces, howling with fury even as the tears kept falling. He stopped only when the corpse had totally disappeared, and more snarls and howls grabbed his attention. He turned to see that he was facing a whole pack of Beowulves, at least twenty of them.

Jaune charged at them, screaming with raw berserk fury.

* * *

Hazel stared in shock as the light atop Beacon tower began to fade. The Dragon was still atop the tower, but it wasn't moving. It was like it had been turned to unyielding stone.

Only one power could have generated that light. Only one power could have frozen the Dragon.

But that shouldn't have been possible. They had been assured by Cinder that the Rose girl was unaware of the power she possessed, and was incapable of tapping into it of her own free will. What had happened?

"What was _that_?" hissed Puriu. Hazel's fellow Strigoi pushed her long black hair out of her face and turned to her master, her blood red eyes burning in the night. "Hazel, was that... is it what I think it was?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes," he growled, "it was. The Rose Girl utilized her power."

"How?!" snarled Gri, his fangs flashing in the moonlight as he bared them. "Cinder assured us she couldn't use her powers! I knew we couldn't trust that useless _sow_."

"Hazel, what now?" asked Puriu. "Most of the House won't stand a chance against a silver eyed warrior, and the Grimm would be completely annihilated ."

Hazel turned his gaze across the forces assembled behind him. Hundreds of Vampires of House Hazel, the last surviving vampiric House, adorned in armor of black leather and dull steel plates met his gaze with crimson eyes as they awaited his command. Behind them were thousands upon thousands of Grimm, all of whom were held back by the will of his mistress, Salem.

Puriu was right that most of the Vampires wouldn't survive a fight against a silver eyed warrior. While even the weakest among them was a match for a fully fledged huntsman, a silver eyed warrior was something else entirely. The light they generated would burn most Vampires to ashes within seconds, barring only the strongest of the Strigoi, who could survive the light for a limited amount of time. Hazel was confident that he could kill the Rose girl, after all he had killed her mother, but if he led his House into battle against a silver eyed warrior there was a very good chance that most of them would be killed. That could not be allowed to happen. Salem had too many plans for both himself and his House. He would not jeopardize his mistress's desires to kill just one girl, silver eyed warrior or no.

However, if Salem ordered him to attack with his House and the Grimm, he would do so in a heartbeat, silver eyes or no.

"We ask Salem, and let her decide," he rumbled. With a wave of his hand he summoned the Seer allotted to him by the dark mistress. It floated up to him and hovered before him, its core glowing softly. The glow grew until it filled the Seer, then dimmed as an image formed within the creature. This image was that of Salem standing atop her tower. "My lady, there's been an incident. The Rose girl-"

"I know what happened," Salem snapped, her face twisted into a sneer of displeasure. "I felt the girl's power from here. Have you attacked yet?"

"No, my lady," he responded with a bow of his head. "I was about to give the order to attack when I saw the glow. If you wish us to begin the assault on the city, we shall."

For a few moments Salem was silent, and Hazel didn't dare to even breath too hard lest he break her concentration. Finally she shook her head and spoke. "No. You are to pull back, along with my Grimm. I still have many tasks for you and your House, primarily killing off any groups of White Fang that refuse to fall in line with Adam Taurus. I trust you still know the locations of the three White Fang camps that refused our dear Taurus?"

"Of course my lady," he said. "We will pull back and make preparations for dealing with them."

"Good. You have ever been my most faithful servant Hazel. Do not think I do not recognize this."

He didn't smile of course, that would have been unbecoming of a Vampire Lord, but he could feel the pride well up in his chest. "Thank you, my lady. I will not fail you."

She smiled, "I know you won't." With that the image disappeared and the Seer's glow returned to normal.

He turned to his assembled soldiers. "We're pulling out," he said simply. He didn't shout. He never had to. His voice carried across the forest to every single vampire. Many bared their fangs in frustration, and there were a few grumbles of discontent at allowing such a ripe source of blood and meat escape virtually scott free, but none of them dared try to refuse his order. Every one of them knew that disobeying an order given by Salem was a surefire way to die at Hazel's hand. Those sitting or kneeling got to their feet and turned to leave as the Grimm began to disperse, but all stopped when they caught a familiar scent on the wind.

Human blood, and the source of the scent was drawing closer.

Hazel turned just in time to see a young blonde boy trip over a root and collapse to the ground. The boy pushed himself to his feet and turned to look at Beacon in the distance. He began sobbing as he knelt on the forest floor, and the assembled vampires sniggered to themselves at the human's weakness. "What a poor little thing," hissed Gri. He ran a tongue across his sharp fangs. "Shall we bring an end to his misery? I could use a snack."

Before the ivory haired Strigoi could take even a step forward a Beowulf stalked towards the boy, snarling and snapping its jaws. "Stupid mutt," spat Gri, "that's _my_ blood." He took a single step forward before Hazel placed a large hand on his shoulder, stopping him. With a glare the Vampire Lord stopped all of the other undead that sought to drain the boy for themselves. Far better for the Beowulf to rip the boy apart for all of their amusement than have a fight break out among his followers over the boy's blood.

The Beowulf continued towards the boy, who finally heard the beast over his own pathetic sobs and turned towards it as it stalked towards him.

Hazel had expected many emotions from the boy when he saw the Grimm approaching him. Fear, regret, panic, or hopelessness. What he had not expected to see was fury. The boy pushed himself to his feet and drew a previously unnoticed blade from its sheathe on his side, then attached the sheathe to his other arm and it folded out into a shield. With a howl of fury the boy flung himself at the shocked Grimm and began to hack it to pieces. Puriu laughed as the boy hacked the fading corpse apart. "Seems he's got some spunk in him." She turned to watch a pack of twenty Beowulves charge towards the boy. "Let's see how long he lasts."

The boy noticed the pack too and turned to face them. Still screaming in fury he flung himself on these new foes with savage abandon, using his shield as a weapon to smash his foes as he hacked away at the Grimm on all sides of him. The boy obviously had some training, but not much. Still, he was doing a remarkable job of cutting apart the Beowulves, and was finishing off the last of the pack. More Grimm rushed towards the boy, howling, snarling, and hissing as they were drawn to massive amounts of negative emotions radiating off of the boy, who was clearly a huntsman in training. He hacked, stabbed, and slashed on all sides with furious abandon as he howled with fury until his voice grew hoarse, and his howl turned into scratchy snarls and roars. He was reaping an impressive tally, but he was not going unscathed. He took blow after blow from the Grimm surrounding him, each one draining his protective aura. An Ursa's paw knocked him to the ground, but he pushed himself up and slashed off the offending limb, then cut open its chest before slamming the edge of his shield into the skull of a Creep. The Vampires laughed and jeered as he fought, entertained by the sight of this young boy battling pointlessly against the horde set against him. Hazel however rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the boy fought. He still had aura left, though he had to be close to empty, which suggested a near prodigal amount of aura. While he wasn't the most skilled fighter, far from it, he fought with everything he had against the odds, refusing to surrender and simply lie down and die. The sheer amount of hate oozing from the boy was a plus too. Unbridled fury was a good trait for a Strigoi, as their negative emotions made them stronger. As the boy hacked the head off of a Beowulf even as he crushed the throat of another with his shield, the Vampire Lord made up his mind. If the boy could survive for a few minutes longer Hazel would save him. He had potential.

A roar shook the forest, and the Grimm surrounding the huntsman in training backed away from their prey even as a massive Ursa Major advanced towards him. The Grimm formed and impromptu ring around the huntsman and the Ursa Major. The boy roared and charged at the Grimm senselessly, and was knocked through the air by the Ursa's paw before hitting the ground. Hazel heard a bone break, and knew that the boy's aura was gone. The other Strigoi howled with laughter as the boy writhed on the ground but Hazel continued to stare, knowing that this huntsman in training wasn't out of the fight yet.

The Ursa stalked towards the boy and raised its paw for a killing blow. It swung it down with enough force to cut the air, but the boy brought his shield up just in time to receive the blow. It crumpled like tin foil under the force of the blow, and Hazel's vampiric hearing clearly picked up the cracking of more bones, but the shield did its job, and the boy survived. He tossed the ruined shield aside and rolled over just as the Ursa Major's paw came down again on where he had been. Before the boy could push himself up or raise his weapon the Ursa's paw came down on the blade and shattered it, leaving only a few inches of steel attached to the hilt of the weapon. Most would have given up at this point, but the child shoved himself to his feet and charged at the Ursa, then _leapt onto it_.

The Vampires' laughter ended and was replaced with silence and grudging respect as the boy grabbed a bone plate in one hand and sunk his blade into the Ursa's flesh. The Grimm howled in pain and anger as the boy wrenched the weapon free and hauled himself up its body and sank the blade into its skin again. It swung a paw at him with the intention of crushing his chest between its paw and its body, but the boy hauled himself up its torso again, and the beast instead hit the huntsman's legs. Even without advanced hearing Hazel was sure he would have been able to hear the sound of snapping bones, but the boy didn't cry out in pain. Instead he drove the weapon down one last time, into the Grimm's throat.

The Ursa Major stumbled back as the blade pierced its jugular. Black blood bubbled out of the wound in its throat as the beast fell backwards and hit the ground with enough force to shake the earth. It was dead. The boy was laying motionless on the monster's chest, every inch of his body covered in black blood from all the Grimm he'd killed. Hazel could hear the boy's heartbeat, but it was faint. The boy was alive, but only just. In that moment Hazel was certain. The boy would make a _very_ good Vampire. As the other Grimm began advancing towards the unconscious huntsman Hazel crouched, his powerful legs tensing with energy, then he _jumped._

He sailed over the heads of the Grimm and landed next to the boy, who was now laying on the ground as the Ursa had dissolved. He grabbed the boy by his belt and slung him callously over one shoulder. "Mine," he growled at the Grimm. The monsters stopped advancing, recognizing Hazel as a powerful creature of darkness. Slowly they turned around and slunk away, leaving only Hazel, his vampires, and the boy.

The vampires walked towards him, eyeing the boy with either wariness, respect, or hunger. Gri licked his lips as he stared at the unconscious child. "So did you decide to make him into a snack, or do you have other uses for him?"

"None of you are to harm him," Hazel rumbled, drawing one of the twin axes he carried to further drive home his point. "I intend to blood him."

"Y-yourself?!" sputtered Purui in shock. "Are you sure? He did good against the Grimm, but that doesn't mean he'll survive you blooding him. _No one_ has survive you blooding them."

Hazel's gaze turned to her, and she flinched away. "Are you questioning me?"

"Of course not!" Gri said hastily as he came to the defense of his sister, "but it _is_ unusual. Most of the people you considered blooding personally were with us for months before you came to that decision, and they all died from the process."

"Maybe he'll die," Hazel said simply, his words sweeping over his Strigoi, "or maybe not, but none of the other people I considered ever took on a Grimm horde single handedly. The boy's got spirit, large aura reserves, and fury. That's all I need to know." He tossed his axe up into the air and caught it. "Any questions?"

"When are you going to do it?" asked Gri as he nervously eyes Hazel's axe.

"When I think he's ready. The boy's obviously a huntsman, so he'll need to have their ideologies worked out of him before he's blooded . He'll need to be able to kill, and do it gladly so he'll be ready for his first feeding." Hazel pointed his axe in the direction of their hidden camp. "Unless anyone else has anything to ask or add that can't wait until we get back to camp, we're moving out. Gri, Purui, gather up his shield and the shards of his sword. We're taking them with us."

The vampires turned and walked deeper into the forest, their footsteps little more than whispers on the earth as they disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

* * *

 **Well that was a doozy of a first chapter, wasn't it? Jaune gets kidnapped by a bunch of blood suckers (the vampiric kind, not the law practitioner kind), the leader of whom intends to turn him into one of them. What will happen? Who knows? Well I know. That's because I'm writing it.**

 **I know that y'all probably have a number of questions about a number of things, such as the story behind the Vampires, what blooding is, and so on and so forth. To these questions that may be asked I say wait and see. All will be answered in the following chapters, I promise.**

 **Those of you who have seen at least episode one of Volume 4 know who Hazel is (those of you who have not, what are doing here? Go catch up on the three episodes that are out). I'm aware that in the actual show he's probably not actually a Vampire (that would be so cool if he was though) but I just thought it fit him so well. At first I was trying to figure out what character I would create to be the master Vampire, but then I remembered Hazel. While he doesn't fit the "traditional" Vampire Lord stereotype (read: Mannfred Von Carstein) there's just something about his character that fit the role so well. While we've seen very little of him in show one can already tell that he's the strong silent type who prefers actions over words, and never has to shout to be heard. What better character archetype could there be for a leader of hundreds of Strigoi? He also seems to be the only one besides Cinder who is totally loyal to Salem, and nothing else. Doctor Watts strikes me as someone who's allied himself with her simply to ensure his own survival, Tyrion probably only works for her because she gives him a steady supply of people to kill, but there's something about Hazel that screams complete and utter obedience to Salem. He has no dreams of grandeur, no desire to rule more than what he has, he simply wishes to serve his mistress, and often those kinds of people are the most dangerous to their enemies.**

 **Also as far as the color rule for names go, I will be trying to follow it, but there may be a couple of characters who do not have color based names, as they were born before or during the Great War (gotta love that vampire immortality). Those of you who are familiar with the Romanian language have probably recognized the names of the two Vampires Gri and Purui**

 **If you're liking this story so far then please feel free to follow and favorite it! If you have a friend who's into RWBY and RWBY fanfics then feel free to tell them about this story if you think they'd like it! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to tell me what you think of this story so far then feel free to write a review or PM me! I love you all. BBBBYYYYEEEEEEE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**HEEEEELLLLOOOOOO! I'm glad to see that the last chapter got some good feedback. Already it has over thirty followers and over twenty favorites and a few reviews, which as far as I'm concerned is pretty good for the first chapter.**

 **In this chapter we'll be covering a bit more about what the Strigoi are exactly, their history, their abilities, and so on and so forth.**

 **I would also like to point out a lore thing I'm doing. Since we have no proof that the mythology of Vampires is a common thing in the world of RWBY I'm going to say that in this fic most people, save a few scholars and historians, are unaware of what Vampires are or their mythology, meaning that pretty much no one would be able to know what a Vampire is without it being explained to them.**

 **Also _very_ big thanks to Last Rose Of May on RWBY amino for the wonderful cover art! You go girl!**

 **With all that out of the way, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

Hazel, along with his two lieutenants, the twins Puriu and Gri, watched as the boy slept peacefully on his cot as the wounds he had suffered healed. It had been two days since the attack on Beacon and his aura had refilled enough to start patching him up, aided with what little medical assistance the Strigoi were able to provide, which had really just been tying splints around his legs to ensure they healed properly.

"What are you going to tell him?" asked Gri as he ran a hand through his short ivory hair. "When he wakes up that is. I doubt he'll just go along with becoming a Vampire if he knows what we are, and who we serve." In terms of combat prowess Gri was second only to Hazel. The tall and lanky Vampire wielded his twin curved daggers with wicked efficiency, capable of using them to snip off bits and pieces of his foes and dragging out their pain, or cutting a vital organ or artery with a single swift strike, killing them in seconds. Typically he preferred the first method, as he liked to play with his food before digging in.

"The best lies are those with some truth mixed in," Hazel replied, "I'll tell him what I want him to know. By the time he realizes the whole truth he'll be one of us, and there will be no going back, assuming he even wants to." The process of becoming a Vampire had a way of corrupting everything about a person. Few, if any, Vampires retained any sense of their humanity after their conversion, and those that did wound up losing it as time went on.

"And what if he refuses to join us, or decides he wants to leave at some point before or after his conversion?" asked Puriu as she twirled a finger in long black locks that made Cinder's hair look like a collection of blackened seaweed by comparison. Gri's twin sister wasn't quite as skilled in combat as her brother, but she was more than capable with her rapier, and her real skill lied in her abilities of persuasion and seduction. She was a master of using her words and body to get what she wanted, and with proper use of both she could turn anyone to putty in her hands. Anyone save Hazel, at least. She had once tried to seduce the Vampire Lord for her own ends, but only once. She had learned the hard way the cost of trying to subvert his authority, and she had been a loyal warrior ever since.

"I want your help with that," he said. "Befriend the boy, make him believe he can confide in you. If he tells you that he has any desires to leave you are convince him to stay, then let me know. If you somehow can't convince him to stay then we'll just kill him."

Puriu raised an eyebrow at Hazel. "You want me to lay with the boy?"

"If you feel that's what it takes to convince him to stay," responded Hazel, "or if you simply want to, then go ahead. I don't care what you do to him, as long as you make him stay."

"You really think he can survive being blooded by you?" asked Gri. "I mean, you're the _first_ of the Stirgoi. You've attempted to blood men and women far more capable than this boy, and they all died. What makes you think he'll survive?"

"Nothing. It's just a gut instinct on my part. Maybe he'll make it through the blooding, and maybe he won't. Either I gain a powerful new Vampire, or I lose nothing."

Gri grunted and shrugged. "Perhaps he'll surprise us. How long do you think it'll be until he's ready to start moving?"

"Hopefully not much longer." Hazel turned and walked out of the tent the boy was being kept in and into the night, his lieutenants following him. "Puriu, I want you to keep an eye on the boy and ensure none of the others try to feed on him. Gri, I want you to scout out the first of the White Fang encampments we've been sent to clear out."

* * *

Jaune groaned as his eyes fluttered open. His vision was blurry, and his head was pounding like someone had hit it with a hammer. He tried to push himself up, but a hand on his chest stopped him and gently pushed him back down. "Easy there," said a woman whose voice was like silk, "you're still pretty injured. I'd hate for you to move too much and ruin all my hard work."

He allowed himself to be pushed back down onto his back, though as weak as he felt Jaune doubted he would have been able to stop whoever this was if he wanted to. "W-where am I?" he groaned.

"You're with friends," the woman said. He turned towards the voice, but his vision was still blurred, and he couldn't make out anything beyond a vague shape. "The Grimm messed you up pretty good, especially that Ursa Major."

He frowned in confusion and closed his eyes tightly then opened them, which cleared his sight enough for him to more or less make out the person talking.

She was a beautiful woman with long black hair that ran down to her waist, with crimson eyes and skin the color of snow. She smiled warmly at him, and he felt his face heat up. He realized he was staring open mouthed at her and he looked away from her. Bringing his mind back to the matter at hand, he asked her, "what Ursa? My memory is... fuzzy." Something had happened, but he couldn't remember what...

"We found you in the middle of the forest just outside of Vale. Grimm had you surrounded, and we arrived just as you killed that Ursa Major. We killed the other Grimm and took you back with us to our encampment to patch you up. How are you feeling?

He was feeling less than amazing all things considered, but... "why was I in the forest?"

The beautiful woman shrugged. "We were hoping you could tell us that."

He frowned and closed his eyes, trying to remember. The last thing he could recall was the Vytal festival tournament. Pyrrha had just-

Pyrrha.

His eyes flew open as the events of that night returned to him and he shoved himself up into a sitting position. He tried to get out of the cot he was on, but her hand on his chest stopped him again. He tried to resist her, but he was either weaker than he thought or she was much stronger than she looked, because she pushed him back down onto his back with laughable ease.

"Let me go!" he shouted as he struggled vainly against her, "I have to get back to Vale!" He had to get back to the others. Ren and Nora were injured and he needed to be there for them, and Pyrrha... Weiss could have been wrong.

She had to be alive. She _had_ to be.

"Easy," cooed the woman as he held him down with one hand and ran the other through his hair. The feel of her slender fingers slipping through his hair calmed him somewhat and he stopped struggling to get up. "As you are right now you couldn't make it back to Vale on your own anyway. Your legs were broken by the Ursa Major, and while your aura is working overtime to fix you up it'll be at least a few days before you're able to stand, let alone make it all the way back to Vale on foot."

"Why didn't you take me to a hospital in Vale?" he asked, his tone snappish. "Why did you bring me here?"

The woman smiled sadly at him. "My kind aren't exactly welcome in Vale, or most settlements."

"Your kind?"

The woman stood up from her spot beside him. "I'll let the man in charge explain things. I'll go get him now." She stepped towards the tent flap and pulled the hood of a cloak he hadn't realized she'd been wearing up over her head. She turned and smiled at Jaune, which despite himself set his heart pounding. "I'm Puriu by the way. What's your name?"

He blinked. "Uh, Jaune."

Her smile grew even brighter. "Well 'Uh, Jaune'," she teased, "It's nice to meet you."

With that she stepped out of the tent and into the sunlight, leaving Jaune alone.

It was a good thing too, because as soon as the tent flap closed behind her Jaune burst into tears as it hit him all over again.

He'd failed to save Pyrrha.

He'd failed his partner and best friend. He'd failed to stop her from going off on a suicide mission against impossible odds.

 _Why? Why had she gone?_

It was his fault. If he'd been stronger, faster, _braver_ , maybe he would have been able to hold off that woman until Pyrrha had been able to absorb whatever power that had been that she had stolen. Because of his incompetence, Pyrrha had died.

He was worthless.

* * *

A tug on the tent flap drew Jaune's attention. "Come in." He croaked. He didn't know how long it had been since he had stopped crying. He didn't really care. All he knew was that he was all out of tears.

The tent flap was pushed aside, and a mountain of a human being stepped inside and lowered the hood of his black cloak. He was a massive man, well over six feet tall if not over seven feet, with broad shoulders and a body that was packed with muscle underneath an outfit of black leather and a steel breastplate. He had short brown hair, a beard, and hazel eyes. Twin axes were hanging off of a belt around his waist, their edges sharp and dangerous.

Jaune barely registered any of it. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Hazel," the man said simply. "You're Jaune, according to Puriu. How are you feeling?"

Jaune shrugged. "My legs are broken, I've run away from my teammates and am now surrounded by complete strangers, and my best friend and partner is dead. How do you _think_ I feel?"

If Hazel took offense to the tone of Jaune's voice he didn't show it. Instead he sat on the ground next to Jaune's cot. "Can you tell me what happened at Vale? We were passing by when we heard fighting, but we didn't dare try to enter the city."

"Why?" Jaune asked, "are you bandits?" He hoped they were. If they were bandits then there was a possibility that they would kill him. Though he doubted they would go through the trouble of saving his life and then nursing him back to health just to kill him later. Oh well.

"No," Hazel said, "we are... well, you'll see. First, can you tell me about what happened in the city?"

Jaune shrugged again. "Long story short, White Fang and Grimm attacked Amity stadium and Beacon Academy. The academy is gone, fallen to the Grimm, but I don't know what happened to the stadium."

Hazel leaned forward in interest. "White Fang _and_ Grimm? You mean the White Fang attack drew in the Grimm?"

Jaune shook his head. "Maybe it did, but I know the White Fang actually flew in a lot of Grimm on Bullheads. Beacon tower was destroyed too." Just thinking about the tower was enough to make him think about Pyrrha, but he didn't cry or make a sound. He was all out of sorrow. All that was left was a hollow emptiness where once there had been emotion.

Hazel leaned back from Jaune and nodded to himself, then turned his gaze on the blonde. "Earlier, you said your best friend and partner had died. What happened?"

"She died," he snarled at the man, "it was my fault. What more do you really need to know about that?"

The large man shrugged. "Nothing, I suppose." He was silent for a moment, then he said. "What about your other friends?"

"They're okay," Jaune muttered, "they're alive at least. I need to get back to them as soon as I can walk again."

"Do you?"

"Well yeah. They're my teammates, and I'm their leader. I need to be there for them."

"Really?" asked Hazel, "it doesn't sound like your presence did much to save your dead friend."

Red rage clouded Jaune's vision and he tried to fling himself at Hazel, but the combination of his broken legs and the man's titanic strength resulted in him being pinned down to the cot with the large man's hand on his chest. Jaune swung a fist at the larger man's face, but Hazel easily grabbed his arm by the wrist and pinned his arm to his chest, then did the same with the other arm when Jaune tried to punch him again. Jaune tried to struggle up into a sitting position, but he couldn't get his back even a centimeter off of the cot. "Ask yourself Jaune," the large man said calmly, "what good would your presence in Vale really do? You already said that your friend's death was your fault. Can you honestly tell me that it wouldn't happen again? That you're strong enough to protect them as you are now?"

That took the fight out of the boy. He stopped struggling against the iron grip of Hazel, and the larger man released him and leaned back. "No," Jaune muttered numbly, "I'm not." The battle of Beacon had made that abundantly clear. He was more of a liability than anything else. His presence would only put his friends in more danger as they tried to protect the weakest member of their group. Just like Pyrrha had.

"You're not," agreed Hazel. The large man leaned forward. "You could be however."

Jaune turned his head to look at Hazel. There was an odd gleam in the larger man's eyes. It was eagerness mixed with... something else. Something dark. "What do you mean?"

Hazel closed his eyes, and right before Jaune began to change. His tanned skin paled until it was white like freshly fallen snow. When the larger man opened his eyes they were no longer hazel, but the crimson of blood. "Tell me Jaune," said the man, exposing a set of fangs in place of where normal teeth should be, "have you ever heard of a Strigoi?"

Eyes wide with fright and awe Jaune sat up and leaned away from Hazel. "A-a what?"

"A Strigoi," repeated Hazel, his crimson eyes flashing in the light of the thin beam that illuminated the tent through the flap, "or 'Vampire' in the common tongue of this day and age."

Jaune shook his head no, totally transfixed by the Hazel's sudden change. "What are Strigoi?"

"Many millennia ago I was a normal man like you. In fact I believe I was the same age as you are now when I was turned into what I am now. In the time I lived there were no Grimm, but that didn't mean I lived in a world with no threats."

"I had a mother, a father, sisters I loved dearly, a good job as a village guard, and many friends. However one day bandits attacked the village, and all that changed. The other guards and I fought tooth and nail against them, but there were just too many and we were overwhelmed. I was forced to watch as the bandits killed my father, forced themselves on my mother and sisters, then killed them too. When finally they came to me I was sure I was going to die, but something started picking them off one by one. Whatever it was moved too fast for me to see beyond a blur, and after watching dozens of their comrades be slaughtered within seconds the others broke and ran, leaving me with the thing that had attacked them. To my shock it was a woman with crimson eyes, pale skin, and fangs where normal teeth should be. I thought I was going to be her next victim, but instead of killing me she cut my bonds and told me that she could give me the power I would need in order to bring revenge down upon those who had taken what I loved from me. In return all I had to give up was my humanity. Filled with grief and rage I accepted, and the woman granted me power like hers. She dubbed me the first of the Strigoi, but told me that in time I would meet others she would turn, others who would bend knee to me as the lord of the Strigoi. With this new power I went out and hunted down the ones who had killed those I love, and slaughtered them to the last man. It was at this slaughter that I learned of the dark side of the Strigoi, of how we are so powerful."

Hazel took a flask Jaune hadn't noticed before off of his belt and held it out to the boy. "Take a sip."

Jaune took the flask from Hazel, removed the lid, and sniffed the contents. The smell was... oddly metallic. "What is it?"

"You'll see. Take a sip, and you'll know how my kind get their power."

Cautiously Jaune titled the flask back and took a sip from it. The second the cold liquid within touched his tongue Jaune's eyes widened in horror and he wrenched the flask away from him lips, unable to stop the small amount he'd poured into his mouth from going down his throat. Hazel calmly took the flask from Jaune as a drop of the crimson liquid within dripped down his chin and onto the boy's ragged hoodie. "W-Was that... was that..."

"Blood," confirmed Hazel, who pressed the flask against his own lips and downed the contents of it, his eyes closed. When the flask was empty he lowered it and opened his eyes. The crimson irises seemed to glow for a second before the light faded. "The Strigoi get their power from and thirst for blood. If we were to go without drinking it for too long we would go blood mad and attack the first living thing we see, and if we were to go even longer without drinking we would eventually just keel over and die."

Jaune reached a hand up to instinctively cover his throat. "I-is that why you saved me? To... to drink my blood?"

Hazel chuckled, a low rumbling sound that seemed to shake the air around him, and shook his head. "If I wanted to drain you I would have done it already. No, I saved you for a different reason. I watched you fight those Grimm and I saw potential in you. You're not the best or strongest fighter no, but you are driven, you don't bend in the face of the greatest odds, and you've got a black rage buried deep inside of you." Hazel's grew more intense and he leaned towards Jaune. "I saved you because I see potential inside of you. I want to make you one of us Jaune."

"I want to make you one of the Strigoi."

* * *

Three days later Jaune was able to walk again.

He stepped out of the tent and into the moonlight, looking at the encampment around him.

Strigoi, as he'd learned from Hazel, burned when exposed to sunlight which was why they wore full body suits of armor and hooded cloaks. As long as the the sun didn't touch their bare skin a Strigoi was fine in open daylight, but if any part of them was exposed to sunlight they needed to find shade or something to cover themselves with before they literally burned to ash.

Just another price for power it seemed. A price many people had deemed worth paying, if the number of Vampires in the camp was any indicator. Hundreds of men and women with blood red eyes and pale skin populated the camp, either performing duties put forth for them, training, or talking in groups. There few if any fires in the camp. While the light of a camp fire didn't harm Vampires they couldn't feel cold and most preferred their meat raw, so they didn't bother with cooking fires.

"Finally up and about then? It's good to see you on your feet. I always hate to see big strong men lying around."

Jaune turned to the familiar voice and tried to smile, but it fell. The beautiful Puriu was making her way over to him, onyx locks swaying gently as she walked. Despite himself Jaune couldn't help but notice the way her full hips also swayed beneath her leather armor. "Hey Puriu."

Over the past three days he had struck up a fast friendship with the Vampiress. She had listened to him and was helping him through his grief of losing Pyrrha. He hadn't cried since the first time he'd done so since waking up, but the grief was still eating a hole in his chest. It was a hole that the beautiful Puriu's friendship was helping to seal, slowly but surely.

She bumped her shoulder against his as she came to stand beside him. "How are the legs?"

He shrugged, "better, but a bit shaky still. It'll be a bit longer before I go anywhere outside the camp."

She frowned. "Are you still thinking about leaving?"

Was he?

He remembered the rest of what Hazel had told him about the Strigoi. To turn into one of them was to accept your innate darkness and become something almost akin to a Grimm. To the black beasts Strigoi were similar enough that Grimm would usually ignore them, and some Strigoi could actually command Grimm to bend to their will. To sate their innate blood lust Hazel and his Vampires hunted down and killed bandits and White Fang members, slaughtering entire camps of them and draining the bodies of blood to store what they didn't drink immediately for later. The idea of drinking blood, be it human or animal, was revolting to the blonde, even if it was the blood of people like the White Fang.

But...

Jaune was weak. He knew he was. He had always known he was the weakest not only amongst his friends, but in the whole of Beacon. His presence had done nothing to save anyone, and would only continue to drag down the others. They were better off without him.

The thought of drinking blood revolted Jaune. The thought of losing his humanity to become a thing of darkness horrified him.

But if it meant becoming something that could make a difference?

He decided he could get used to the taste of blood.

"I'm staying," he assured her. "I can do more good here than I ever could at Beacon."

Puriu smiled, her fangs glinting in the moonlight. The first time she'd done that Jaune had flinched away from her out of instinct. Now it didn't seem so threatening. "That's good to hear. Does Hazel know?"

Jaune shook his head. "I was about to go tell him."

"I'll come with you," she offered. The two of them made their way over to the large tent in the center of camp that Hazel utilized. As they walked they passed by many other Strigoi who uttered a greeting to Puriu and barely spared a glance for the blonde boy next to her. A few sniggered at him before glancing away and continuing with what they were doing. After the third did this Jaune turned to Puriu, confused. "What's so funny? Are they not used to seeing a human?"

"We don't get potential recruits very often," admitted Puriu, "we've only had three or four over the past couple of years, and if I remember correctly two of them died before they could be blooded."

One of the blonde's eyebrows rose. " _Before_ they could be blooded?" Hazel had explained the blooding process to Jaune, and how dangerous it was. The act itself was simply a Vampire offering up some of his or her own blood to a potential Strigoi, who had to drink willingly. The process of turning from a human to a Vampire was indescribably painful and it always ended in one way: death.

To become a Vampire one had to die. However those who were strong enough would be resurrected soon after as a Strigoi, making them truly undead. While alive again a Strigoi's skin was cold to the touch, like a corpse's, and they were incapable of having children. Their blood still pumped, their hearts still beat, and their brains still operated, but some part of them would always remain dead. That part was their aura. A Strigoi's soul was a corrupted mockery of what it once was, resulting in a loss of the protective qualities of aura, meaning a killing blow that made contact could kill a Strigoi. However killing a Vampire was far easier said than done. Though a Vampire's aura no longer protected them they had other advantages to make up for this. Strigoi were far faster and stronger than humans, making it nearly impossible for anyone save a fully fledged huntsman to land a blow on them, and even for a huntsman it was a task far easier said then done. Another advantage that all Strigoi had was the ability to utilize an ability called glamour.

Glamour allowed Vampires to cast an illusion over their bodies, making something seem like it wasn't. However a Strigoi's body did not _actually_ change, rather it just seemed like it did. If a Vampire utilized glamour to change their eye color from crimson to brown it would seem to anyone looking at them that they had brown eyes, but as soon as the glamour dissipated their eye color would return to crimson.

"How did those two people die?" asked Jaune. In a camp populated with literal blood suckers Jaune could imagine how they died, but he hoped he was wrong.

Puriu must have sensed the nervousness in Jaune's question because she laughed, a sweet sound that managed to make him feel a little better every time he heard it. "We didn't attack them silly boy," she teased, "but the life of a Strigoi is a dangerous one, especially for those who haven't turned yet. There's always the risk of death when assaulting a bandit or White Fang encampment."

He nodded. That made sense. "What about the other two?"

"They both survived their own blooding and are now fully fledged Strigoi. Just like you will be someday."

A small smile crossed Jaune's lips before it fell again. "You have a lot of faith in me."

The Vampiress shrugged. "So does Hazel, and he's normally right about these things. If he says you'll make it as a Vampire, then you'll make it as one of us. However," her gaze on him turned deadly serious. "The fact that you're human isn't why they're laughing at you."

He frowned in confusion. "Then why?"

Puriu stopped walking and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him too. She placed a finger on the center of his chest. " _That_ is why they're laughing at you."

Jaune looked down and saw that her finger was on the rabbit face on the center of his Pumpkin Pete's hoodie. He had totally forgotten that he had been wearing the hoodie in the first place. Normally his armor would have covered the rabbit face, but like his sword and shield his breastplate and spaulders were with the blacksmith, who was waiting until Jaune came to see him before doing anything with his old gear.

Puriu couldn't keep a giggle from slipping through her lips and shook her head. "Why don't you take the silly thing off? It's not that cold anyway." Her crimson eyes twinkled with mirth. "Or are you wearing nothing under there? Afraid that if you bare your abs to the world the ladies won't be able to keep their hands off of you?" She winked at him. "Afraid that _I_ won't be able to keep my hands off of you?"

Jaune's cheek began to redden as he glanced away from her. "No I'm wearing a shirt under this, it's just..." he sighed. "It reminds me of Pyrrha."

Puriu's smile turned sad, and she cupped his cheek in her hand to turn his face back to her. Her hand was cold on his bare cheek, and when she brushed her thumb against his cheekbone he shuddered involuntarily. "I know it hurts Jaune," she said kindly, "but take it from someone who's lived far longer than you by a couple of centuries. Clinging to her like this will only hurt you and drag you down. I'm not saying you need to completely forget about your old teammate, but you do need to be able to move on. After all," her hand trailed down his face and came to a stop underneath his chin, where her finger gently rubbed the skin beneath his bottom lip, sending small shocks through his body, "the sooner you move on, the stronger you can become. I know this whole situation is strange to you, but in time you'll see us like family." She removed her hand from his face and stepped back from him. For a few seconds Jaune just stood there. He knew she was right, but taking off his old sweater would be like a first step on a strange and unusual path. He would leave his old life and dreams behind him. He would start down a path he never thought he would ever walk.

Jaune grabbed the hem of the hoodie and pulled it up over his head, then fully removed it. In the process he pulled the green shirt he was wearing underneath it up a bit and he pulled the shirt back down after slinging the hoodie over his shoulder. Puriu winked at him. "Seems I wasn't wrong. Not the best abs I've ever seen, but certainly up there on my list."

He turned a bit redder. "Thanks," he muttered, "we should go see Hazel." The two walked the rest of the way to the Vampire Lord's tent in comfortable silence. When they reached it Puriu tugged on the tent flap and a few seconds later they heard Hazel's gravely voice telling them to enter.

The two stepped inside to see Hazel bent over a map of the surrounding area. On the map were two flags, one to mark their own encampment and another to mark what Jaune presumed to be the White Fang encampment that Hazel had told him they were preparing to assault. The large man looked up at them and nodded to them. "Finally up and about then?" he rumbled.

Jaune nodded. "I won't be running marathons anytime soon, but I can walk on my own."

Hazel grunted. "Have you made a decision on whether or not you're staying?"

"I'm staying," confirmed the blonde. "I can actually be useful if I stay with you."

Hazel smiled, something Jaune could tell was a pretty rare event, and nodded. "That's good to hear." He stood straight and took a swig from the blood flask he kept on his belt. "Let's go pay old Blackhands a visit. It's time we took care of your equipment issue."

* * *

"So this is him, huh?" grunted the blacksmith. Dubbed 'old Blackhands' by the other Strigoi due to the fact that he had already been in his late thirties by the time he had been turned and the fact that his hands were almost always blackened with soot, the blacksmith was the one in charge of ensuring that his fellow Strigoi were properly armed and armored, and ensured their equipment remained in good order. Blackhands was a snake faunus if the odd shape of his pupils and snake skin on his arms were any indicator. He had a beard and thick black hair with just a touch of grey in them, and wore a white shirt and blue jeans with a blacksmith's apron over all of it. He was almost as tall as Hazel and just as broad across the shoulders.

He had been holding onto the ruined remains of Jaune's armor and weapons. Jaune could see them lying haphazardly in on a table in the center of the room. The breastplate and spaulders were pitted, scored, and dented from his battle against the Grimm. His shield was crumpled in on itself, forming a bowl and damaged beyond any repair. The sword was shattered, the shards of it littering the table with only a couple inches of steel still attached to the crossguard.

"Alright then," grunted Blackhands, "take it off."

Jaune turned towards the blacksmith in shock. "I'm sorry?"

Blackhands growled something about kids these days. "Your shirt boy! Take it off! If I'm gonna get your proper measurements I need you to ditch the shirt! Gods, don't kids today know anything?"

Jaune turned around and looked at Hazel and Puriu, or more specifically, at Puriu. "I don't guess I could ask you to leave, could I?" he asked weakly.

The Vampiress smirked and leaned against a table. "Of course not silly."

Jaune sighed and turned back to the front. _"_ _I guess that's not so surprising."_

As he lifted the shirt up over his head he heard someone chuckle. "Never knew you had a thing for humans little Puriu."

"Hush," she snapped at him.

Jaune hoped his face wasn't too red.

He dropped the shirt on the ground next to himself, and the blacksmith started walking around Jaune and started examining him. Though he could feel Blackhands' eyes roving over his form it didn't feel invasive. The old man's gaze felt professional and impersonal, as though he had done this a thousand times before, which if Jaune had to guess he probably had.

The second set of eyes roving over his form however felt _much_ more personal however, and he felt he had a good guess as to who it was staring at him. A quick glance backwards confirmed his suspicions, as he could see Puriu staring at his back appreciatively. She winked at him and mouthed, _"not bad."_

His cheeks turning scarlet Jaune turned back to the front as Blackhands began muttering to himself. "Hmmm... bit on the scrawny side, but that's to be expected considering he was out of it for a couple days. Broad shoulders and chest... strong arms from holding that shield and swinging that sword around... definitely a strength fighter... hmmm... could put on a lot of muscle with the right diet and work out..." he stopped pacing and nodded. "Alright boy, listen up and listen well, cause I don't like repeating myself. You're scrawny, but you got potential. With the right diet and exercise you _might_ be worth turning in a couple of months. However a good Strigoi has good equipment, and you," he wrapped his knuckles on the crumpled shield, "need some new equipment. How much experience you got using swords and shields?"

"Not much," admitted Jaune. "Just a few months."

Blackhands nodded. "I thought so. Your hands are well calloused, but the callouses are all wrong for wielding a sword. You grew up a farm, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah," Jaune said in surprise, "I did. how'd you-"

"The callouses boy! The callouses on your hands! Those are the callouses of someone more used to gripping a plow, hoe, or hammer than a sword. True you got some swordsman callouses on your hands, but not nearly enough for someone who's dedicated their life to fighting with a sword." He peered at Jaune. "How often did you use a hammer and an axe on that farm boy?"

Jaune shrugged. "Just whenever something needed to be fixed or wood needed to be chopped I guess..."

"You guess or you did?!" snapped Blackhands.

"I did," Jaune corrected. "Whenever something was being fixed or built I always helped out. Hammering nails in place, driving stakes and fence posts into the ground, cutting wood for lumber or fires, stuff like that."

Blackhands grunted and nodded to himself. "Good. In that case I know what weapons you're going to be using."

Jaune blinked in confusion. Wasn't the blacksmith going to fix his sword and shield? "What do you mean?"

Old Blackhands sighed and rolled his eyes, then pointed at the ruined shield and sword. "I'm going to melt those down into a set of an axe and a hammer for you."

"Oh," Jaune said. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he didn't say anything.

Blackhands must have known he wanted to however, because the blacksmith waved his hands at Jaune impatiently. "Out with it boy. What's the matter?"

"It's just..." Jaune scratched the back of his head. "I know I don't have a lot of experience with a sword and shield, but I have _no_ experience fighting with axes or hammers. Wouldn't it make more sense for me to stick with a sword and shield?"

Blackhands shook his head no. "Maybe if you had about a year's worth experience with a sword and shield, but you only got a few months. Your body is still more accustomed to the feel of construction and farming tools than what many people consider "proper" weapons. Oh I know when people think of fighters they think of huntsmen or soldiers armed with big guns or swords, but fact is there have been many times in history when it was just normal men and women armed with everyday items who defended their homes and families from danger. The axe and the hammer are the common man's weapons, and they're the weapons your body is most suited to using, even if you don't realize it."

Jaune supposed that made some sense. It wasn't like either the sword or shield had been able to save Pyrrha anyway. "Fine with me."

"I know it is," grumbled the blacksmith. He turned to Hazel. "Another thing, I want the boy to help me here in the forge. He needs to work up some muscle and get his strength back. He can start by helping me with forging his new weapons and armor."

Hazel nodded, "very well." he turned to exit the tent and waved to Puriu. "Come. Your brother should be back soon with the report on the White Fang encampment."

Puriu smiled and waved at Jaune. "Bye Jaune. Nice abs by the way." With a wink she was gone.

"Abs?" Jaune looked down and realized he was still shirtless. He looked up at Blackhands. "Uh... Can I put my shirt back on?"

"Yeah, and throw on an apron and some gloves while you're at it." Blackhands went over to the bellows and started pumping them. "Then grab the shards of your sword and bring them over here. We need to get started on your gear."

Jaune tugged on his shirt, threw on one of the thick leather aprons laying on a desk, and pulled on a pair of leather gloves that fit fairly well. He gathered up the broken remains of his sword and placed them in the forge as instructed, where the shards began to melt before his eyes, becoming a formless mass.

Watching his family heirloom be melted down, Jaune knew he had crossed the final divide. There could be no going back to his old life.

He was no longer Jaune Arc the Huntsman. He was now Jaune Arc the unblooded.

* * *

 **WOOO! Quite the chapter huh? Jaune wakes up to find himself surrounded by strange men and women with strange powers and way of life with a literal thirst for blood.**

 **To some it may feel like Jaune is just breezing through losing Pyrrha, but I assure you that's not the case. He's still hurting, and badly, but he's throwing himself into this whole Vampire thing _because_ of her death. He feels weak and worthless and thinks that becoming a Strigoi is the only way he'll ever be strong enough to make sure that never happens again. Puriu's constant attention isn't exactly helping either. Keep in mind she's a master of persuasion and seduction. She knows just how to twist Jaune's grief and teenage hormones to her own ends, essentially making him putty in her hands.**

 **Some might be wondering how on earth (or Remnant) Jaune doesn't think that a bunch of people who literally drink blood to survive are evil, but I'd like to remind you a few things. First: grief. As I've said Jaune isn't thinking too clearly at the moment, which is something Hazel is using to his advantage. On top of that Hazel has told him that they're hunting the White Fang, who are partially responsible for the fall of Beacon and Pyrrha's death, so in Jaune's mind the Strigoi _are_ good guys, even if they're creatures of darkness. Second: Jaune doesn't know what a Vampire is. As I've already established, the lore and mythology of Vampires isn't known by the general populace of Remnant like it is here in the real world, so he has no previous bias for or against these beings of the night. On top of all that Jaune's pretty clueless. If the fact that he somehow managed to totally miss Pyrrha's (rather obvious) affection for him is any indicator he's not the best at picking up on things. That's not to say he's stupid, just not very observant.**

 **Some might be wondering why I keep changing Jaunes weapons in my stories, so let me explain myself. In the universe of RWBY weapons are extensions of the wielder. Every huntsman makes his or her own weapon and modifies it as they see fit, ensuring no two weapons are ever the same. Jaune is the exception to this rule. Instead he uses a family heirloom that has been passed down from one generation to the next of Arcs, but even so it still serves as an extension of who Jaune is. Jaune is clearly proud of his family if the fact that he keeps talking about them (My dad said this or my mom said this) in conversation is anything to go off of, and the fact that he wields the family heirloom supports this theory. However this family pride is not the only reason Crocea Mors suits him so well. In a world where Scythes can also be high impact sniper rifles Jaune's weapon is very basic and simple. Sure the shield folds into a sheathe and vice versa, but that's the extent of the weapon's complexity. The weapon is simple, barely decorated beyond the Arc crest on the shield, durable, and stubborn, much like Jaune himself. He's not one to try and stand out (if his choice of attire is anything to go by), but he's stubborn to a fault and unwaveringly loyal to the people he loves. When his back is against the wall Jaune will put himself at risk before doing the same to his friends (which could be argued as another reason why he chooses to stay with the Strigoi).**

 **In volume 4 we see that Jaune is undergoing a rather significant change in personality, and his armor and weapons have changed to reflect this. His armor is heavier to encompass his role as a 'knight' as it were, and his shield and sword are more decorated than they were previously. However they are still the same simple sword and shield Jaune has been carrying since episode one, and both he and they retain what makes Jaune who he is.**

 **In "Jaune Arc, Gryphon Knight" the change in weapons was purely practical. A halberd (or any weapon with significant reach) will be far more useful on the back of a large Gryphon than his normal sword and shield, however I think that the halberd still retains a certain air of 'Jauneness' if you will. The twin hammers he will be receiving are a different story altogether however. True a hammer is a simple weapon (so long as it doesn't turn into something else. Looking at you Nora) but its simplicity is also mixed with an innate brutality. A sword and halberd are weapons that could be used elegantly if one so wished or are traditionally considered 'knightly' weapons, but a hammer? A hammer is not an elegant weapon, nor is it traditionally considered a 'knightly' weapon. A hammer is a brutal weapon designed to smash, shatter, and crack. Go look up a video of a hammer vs a cinder block or something of that nature, and watch what that hammer can do to its target in the hands of an average Joe, then ask yourself, "what could a proper war hammer do to a human rib cage when wielded by someone who was trained to kill with it? What could _two_ do?"**

 **So yes while a war hammers are arguably more simple than a sword or halberd, they are also far more brutal in how they are used in combat. This brutality is a reflection of what Jaune may very well become should he turn into a Strigoi. He would be as a brutal creature born to kill and destroy with no respect for human life.**

 **Quick edit: reviewer undeadhero143 suggested an set of both an axe and hammer, and though I wasn't going to go with it at first I decided that it would probably work better. I thought about giving him a singe two handed axe, but I decided against that as I'm going to be giving Jaune that very weapon in a later fic (If I ever get around to writing the damn thing.)**

 **Sorry for the long author's notes here at the end of the chapter, but if you liked this story then feel free to follow and favorite if you haven't already! If you have a friend who likes RWBY or RWBY fanfiction (or awesome Vampires. Not the stupid twilight ones) then feel free to tell them about this story! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to tell me what you think so far then feel free to leave a review or PM me! I love you all. BBBYYYYEEEEEEEEE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**HELLO THERE MY DEAR READERS, IT IS I, NERDLYDELICIOUS YOUR LORD AND MASTER.**

 **Too much? Okay.**

 **Well first off I apologize that this is not a proper chapter. I am currently working on chapter 3 right now, but I made this because I want you, dear readers, to help with the story. I want you to vote on what weapons you think Jaune should have in this story.**

 **Now I'm sure those of you who read chapter 2 the first time remember that I said he was going to have two hammers, but if you were to go back and re-read the chapter you'd see that I decided to change that to an axe and hammer. Now after doing even MORE thinking I find that I am rather undecided on what weapons he should have. In this fic Jaune will be wielding two weapons. Not a weapon and shield, not a single two handed weapon, but two single handed weapons. On that I am certain. What I need your help is deciding which combo of weapons I should go with.**

 **Here below is the list of weapon combos I have thought of so far:**

 **1\. Twin swords**

 **2\. Twin axes**

 **3\. Twin hammers**

 **4\. A sword and an axe**

 **5\. A sword and a hammer**

 **6\. An axe and a hammer**

 **QUICK EDIT!**

 **reviewer coconutwastaken (and I thought Nerdlydelicious was a unique username) suggested a weapon combo of a flail and sword, and I liked the idea so much that I decided to throw it in here as a seventh option. So option seven is a sword and flail.**

 **Now a part of me really does want Jaune to have at least one sword, admittedly, so if one of the options involving a sword doesn't make it through he may obtain one at a later date. The process of "voting" for his weapon combo is simple: leave a review or PM with your choice. You can say why you choose that combo, I certainly won't mind, or if you think you have a better idea for a combo then feel free to tell me. Admittedly the chances of a reviewer created combo being selected are rather low, but I always like to read your feedback!**

 **When the voting is complete (as in when I'm ready to upload chapter three) then chapter 2 will be edited to match the results of the voting so as to not create any plot holes. Thank you all in advance, and once again I apologize that this isn't a proper chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**HEEEEELLLLOOOOOOO! I apologize profusely that this chapter took as long as it did to come out. Life is just seriously conspiring against me writing anything and it took me far too long to put out two chapters of "Jaune Arc, Gryphon Knight". However since I put out two chapters of that story I will be putting out two chapters of this story before working on anything else.**

 **The results of the weapon votes were tallied (both reviews and PMs) and the end result was...**

 **AXE AND HAMMER!**

 **Personally I'm kind of glad this one won out if for no other reason then I didn't want to have to go back and rewrite chapter two again. For those of you who wanted him to have a sword don't worry. He _will_ get one eventually, but I won't say when or how.**

 **ALSO: some of you might have realized that the rating on this story jumped from T to M. there's a reason for that. This story is going to be growing darker as it progresses. It's not going to be Berserk Eclipse arc levels of dark right out the gate, but it may hit that level at some point. Consider yourself warned.**

 **With all that out of the way, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

"Did you love her?"

The question startled Jaune out of his thoughts. He looked up from his gore soaked hammer and axe at Puriu, who was sitting on a stump and cleaning off the black Grimm blood from her rapier with a cloth. A month had passed since Jaune gotten his new gear. A sword and shield had been replaced with a wickedly sharp single bladed axe and a maul with a rectangular hammerhead on one end and a spike for punching through particularly stubborn foes on the other end. His old armor and clothes had been replaced with a suit of leather armor with dull grey steel armor over his chest, legs, and forearms. A black cloak was fastened around his neck by a metal clasp shaped like a drop of blood.

Jaune and Puriu had spent the past month taking treks into the forest to hunt Grimm. The beasts were attracted to the negative emotions roiling off of Jaune at any given moment. They supplied plentiful and necessary training for the young unblooded. He had been training under Hazel, but for actual combat he killed Grimm. In the past month he had killed more of the corrupted beasts than he had his entire time at Beacon. He'd had gotten used to the feeling of their blood gushing over him as he carved through them with his axe, of the sound of their bones crunching under his hammer.

Jaune plucked a piece of Grimm flesh off of his breastplate and flicked the rapidly decaying substance aside. "Sorry, what? I wasn't listening."

Puriu smiled softly. "I asked if you loved her, Pyrrha."

Jaune sighed and looked back down at his weapons. In truth, the question was not a new one to him. It had plagued his mind for the last couple of weeks. While the grief had faded to manageable levels, his confusion was still as strong as ever.

She had loved him, that much was obvious now, but... why?

Why had she, Pyrrha Nikos, Four times tournament champion and the most gifted huntress in training in decades, loved him? He was Jaune Arc. The scrawny, goofy, walking laughingstock of Beacon, who had _somehow_ been named leader of his own team. It just... it didn't make sense. He doubted he'd ever really understand the why of it.

But Pyrrha's feelings weren't the only ones he questioned. His own had been a constant point of deliberation for the unblooded.

Did he... love Pyrrha?

As a friend, teammate, and partner? Yes, absolutely. He loved her just like he loved Ren and Nora.

But... did he have more romantic feelings for his deceased teammate?

Jaune hadn't realized Pyrrha's own feelings for him until it had been far too late, a fact that he felt would haunt him forever. Her feelings for him had been clear at the end, but his for her were more... complicated. Jaune had never thought that Pyrrha would ever see him as more than his friend and partner, and consequently he had never seen _her_ as anything more than that. He had loved her, but not in a romantic way.

She had helped him through so much, and in so many ways. She'd trained him to fight, believed in him when no one else had, even helped him try to confess to Weiss even though she'd loved him. Meanwhile he'd wasted so much time chasing after a girl who didn't return his feelings. Jaune remembered how hurt he'd been when he'd seen Weiss ask Neptune to the dance. Had that been how Pyrrha had felt as she had watched him chase after the white haired girl?

"I cared about Pyrrha," he said, "and I do love her, but not..."

"Not the way she loved you?" finished Puriu.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah..."

The Vampiress stood up and walked over to him, then sat down and gently brushed a finger along his jawline, making him shiver with enjoyment. He secretly liked it when she did that.

"It's not your fault that you don't feel the same as she did Jaune," the pale woman said gently. "Your feelings are your own. You shouldn't feel guilt for not returning hers." She moved her hand from his face to his hair and began to run her fingers through it. Over the past month the unblooded boy had allowed his hair to grow out, and the thick blonde locks now hung down past his shoulders and framed his face handsomely. Puriu had taken a liking to his longer hair, saying it that it made him look older and that it 'resembled the mane of a proud lion'. Though Jaune would never admit it, her enjoyment of his longer hair and the habit she'd developed of running her fingers through it were the primary reasons he didn't want to cut it.

"I know," he said, "but it still feels wrong. I can't... I can't explain it."

Puriu placed her hand over his. "It wasn't fair that Pyrrha had to die, was it?"

He tensed. What kind of question was that? "Of course it wasn't," he growled. Just thinking about the unfairness of it was enough to stoke his ire.

"Would you make the one responsible pay?" she asked.

He turned his head to look at her. His sky blue eyes met her blood red crimson ones. "What do you mean?"

Puriu smiled, her fangs gleaming in the moonlight. "If the one responsible for taking her from you was standing before you right now, would you avenge your friend?"

Jaune felt that she was talking about more than just fighting the one responsible. "You mean... you're asking if I would kill them?"

"Would you?"

Jaune had always thought that the answer to such a question would be one he would have to think long and hard on, that he wouldn't be able to make such a decision on the value of another human's life easily. It turned out it was a very easy decision to make.

"I'd kill them with no hesitation." He was slightly surprised to realize he meant that wholeheartedly. They had taken Pyrrha from him, attacked his school, and hurt his friends. He wouldn't lose sleep over being the one to put them down.

Puriu's grin grew wider. "Then tell me, while at Beacon did you ever meet a student named Cinder Fall?"

* * *

The encampment was a large base surrounded by a wooden palisade several meters high with watch towers set at regular intervals to watch for foes. All of the foliage for several hundred feet around the base had been cleared away, leaving a completely open field of view for the people positioned in the watch towers. It would be impossible to approach the camp unseen.

Blackhands placed one of his massive soot stained hands on Jaune's shoulder. "Steady boy," he growled.

Jaune almost leaped out of his skin when the large hand landed on his shoulder. "S-sorry," he whispered, "just nervous."

"You'll be fine," grunted Hazel. "Just keep your wits about you and show no mercy. Remember who these people are, and what they've done. This is your first real test to see if you've got what it takes to be a Strigoi."

The Vampires had located a White Fang base. According to Hazel it was one of the ones directly responsible for attack on Vale. As an unblooded Jaune was expected to fight to the best of his ability and show no mercy to the base personnel. Jaune would be killing his first human foes today.

A slender hand brushed his cheek. "Remember who these people are Jaune," Puriu said from beside him, "remember the crimes they've committed. Remember who they answer to."

 _Her_.

It had been two weeks since Puriu had told him all about Cinder and her plan to steal the power of the Fall Maiden. The power that Ozpin had been planning to pass onto Pyrrha. Cinder had killed her only because she had been chosen to gain a power she'd never wanted.

Cinder and everyone who had helped her attack Beacon would pay hell for what they had done. Jaune would make sure of it.

"Here," Hazel held out his blood flask to his young apprentice. "Take some. It'll help you calm down."

Since his training had begun Hazel had required that Jaune have a glass of blood with every meal to familiarize himself with the taste and to grow accustomed to drinking it. Drinking an entire glass of the stuff had made him sick many times at first, but his body had grown accustomed to the liquid, as had his taste buds. So it was with thanks that Jaune took the flask of blood and took a healthy drink from it before returning it to Hazel. "I'm alright," he said, and looked at the base before them. It would be impossible to sneak through that open field, and trying would just get you killed. From their position in the trees at the edge of the clearing Jaune could see barrels of large machine guns poking out of the watch towers, ready to fire on anyone or anything that entered their gunners' lines of sight. It was a good defense against Grimm or normal people, but unfortunately for the White Fang in this base they weren't going up against normal people. They were going up against Vampires.

Jaune had watched Strigoi spar, and it was a sight to behold. They moved so quickly it was nearly impossible for him to keep track of their movements and hit with enough force to crumple normal steel and shatter rock, provided they had the right weapons to do so. True they didn't have aura to protect them like humans, but with their speed a foe would have a hard time hitting them in the first place.

One of the other Vampires walked over to Hazel, his feet making no sound as he walked, and whispered something in the Vampire Lord's ear. Hazel nodded and waved the Vampire away. "Everyone is in position and waiting for the order. Do all of you remember your jobs?"

Puriu's twin brother Gri giggled unnervingly and twirled his twin blades. Everything about him just made Jaune feel on edge whenever he was around the Vampire Lieutenant. He couldn't believe someone like that was related to someone like Puriu. "I will lead my forces over the wall and make for their headquarters where I will capture their leader and any intelligence I can gather."

Puriu placed a hand on the hilt of her rapier. "My forces and I shall also go over the wall and clear out any resistance on the other side of the gate, then take out the watch towers."

Blackhands hefted his weapon of choice, a massive two handed hammer that made Magnhild look small in comparison. "I'll bring down the gates and clear the way for everyone else."

Hazel nodded. "Good." He looked at Jaune. "Today we see what you're truly made of Jaune. If you do well here, then I'll know your worthy of being one of us."

Jaune gulped, but nodded. "I'm ready."

Without another word Hazel stepped out of the treeline and into the clearing. The moonlight made his pale skin glow even as it glinted off his twin axes wielded in each hand. It didn't take the sentries long to see him, and they shouted in alarm and aimed their machine guns at him.

Hazel threw his head back and unleashed an ungodly howl that echoed through the forest, then took off at a sprint towards the encampment.

Vampires roared and howled as they burst out of the treeline after their lord, and Jaune's voice joined theirs as he charged forward, hammer and axe in hand.

Bullets ripped up the ground as the sentries opened fire, but the Vampires deftly dodged through the hail of lead with a swiftness that didn't seem possible. Jaune was not as quick as them but still had his aura. More than a few rounds hit him, but couldn't penetrate his aura as he sprinted forward, the Vampires making him look slow in comparison.

Jaune watched as Hazel, Gri and his men, and Puriu and her men leaped over the walls with ease, clearing what looked like ten meters of wood in a matter of seconds. Screams and more gunfire added to the cacophony as those who had cleared the walls engaged the White Fang on the other side. Suddenly the sound of splintering wood rent the air and Jaune looked down to see that Blackhands had, with a single swing, not only smashed open the gates but essentially blasted them to splinters. Vampires poured through the opening and fell upon the few remaining White Fang by the gate that hadn't been cut down by Puriu's team. Jaune rushed in with the others and looked left and right for an opponent, then found one. A White Fang soldier gripping a sword watched as the Strigoi poured in through the gateway, then slowly edged backwards.

Jaune wasn't about to let any of them escape. He turned on his heel and sprinted towards the soldier, who saw him and turned to face him, sword held up in both hands. The unblooded swung with his axe but the Fang member jumped back and barely avoided being disemboweled. He stepped forward and swung his hammer this time, and the faunus brought up its sword to deflect the blow. This was a mistake. Driven by Jaune's considerable strength the heavy hammer smashed through the sword blade, shattering it like glass. The White Fang soldier stumbled back and dropped the broken sword, both hands held up. "I-"

Jaune slammed his fist into the faunus's face, sending the terrorist to the ground and shattering the Grimm mask. Jaune raised his axe high, prepared to bring it down on the skull of his foe, when she pushed herself to her knees and looked him in the eyes. "Please," she whimpered, her nose bleeding from where he'd struck her, "please don't. I surrender."

Jaune's eyes widened as his whole body began to tremble. The girl before him... "Pyrrha?"

Indeed the terrorist before him bore a startling resemblance to his dead teammate. Had it not been for the antlers on top of her head and the freckles dusting her cheeks the girl before him could have been Pyrrha's twin. Her hair, while in a pixie cut, was the deep red, and her eyes were that same vibrant green. "Please," the girl sobbed, tears pouring out of her eyes and mixing with the blood from her nose, "please, I surrender! I won't resist I swear, just don't kill me!"

Jaune's breath came in ragged gasps as his heart pounded in his chest. Memories of his beloved partner flashed through his mind as he stared at the girl kneeling before him.

He couldn't... not her. Pyrrha had died once because of him. He couldn't kill her again.

"You have to do it Jaune."

The unblooded looked up from Pyrrha at Puriu, who was making her way over to him. Her rapier was coated in blood, as was the skin around her mouth.

Jaune looked back down at Pyrrha. "I... I can't. Not again. I won't lose her again." His hand gripping the axe lowered to his side.

Puriu stepped past his partner without the barest glance. She grabbed the unblooded's chin in her free hand and turned his head to her. "Look at me," she said gently, "that is not Pyrrha. I know it looks like her, but it is _not_ her. This is a terrorist, someone who played a hand in the deaths of hundreds of people, including your partner."

"Please," Pyrrha- no, the _girl_ , begged, "we had nothing to do with-"

"Be quiet!" snarled Puriu as she released Jaune and pressed her rapier against the faunus girl's throat. The Vampiress turned to look at Jaune. "If you let this girl go just because she looks like your old partner then you will _never_ become strong enough to do what needs to be done. Is that what you want? To be weak _forever_? Who else needs to die before you do what needs to be done? Your other teammates? The girls of team Ruby? Your _family?_ You let this girl go, and you put them all in danger."

Puriu's words awoke something inside of him, and his heart grew cold. "Move," he growled at the Vampiress.

With a wicked smile she moved her rapier from the terrorist's neck and stepped to the side. "Good boy," she crooned, "now give this murderer the punishment she deserves."

The faunus girl looked him in the eyes as Jaune stepped forward and raised his axe, the sharp edge gleaming under the light of the shattered moon. "Please," she whispered.

Jaune's axe came down and split her head in two with a sickening _crunch_.

Blood, brain matter, and bits of skull sprayed out and spattered across Jaune as he killed his first human foe. He wrenched his axe free and the corpse fell face down, twitching even as blood and brains poured out of the ruined head and coated the bottom of his boots. Jaune looked down at his first human kill. He knew he should have felt sick or regret what he'd done, but as Puriu's words rang in his head the unblooded felt nothing but the satisfaction of a job well done.

From beside him Puriu laughed. "I _knew_ you had it in you!" she pressed her lips against his cheek, then yelped in surprise when Jaune wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her against himself, and jammed his lips against hers. The Vampiress returned the kiss, her tongue delving into his mouth before she leaned back and broke off the kiss. Puriu looked at him with naked lust in her eyes. "Come find me in my tent when we return to camp," The Vampiress whispered in his ear, then gently bit his earlobe "then we'll celebrate your first kill _properly_."

With that she slipped out of his arms and rushed off into the night to find more kills. Jaune watched her go for a second, then turned and took off towards where the sounds of battle were loudest. He had work to do.

* * *

Hazel cut the fool who had tried to rush him from behind in two, his bottom half hitting the ground as his top half went flying through the air. Around him White Fang hacked and shot at him in desperation, but he evaded and deflected every strike and shot with ease born of tens of thousands of years of practice. To him and all Strigoi mere humans moved so slowly that it was like they walked through molasses. Only in overwhelming numbers could non-huntsmen hope to prove a threat to a Vampire, let alone to _him_ , lord of all Strigoi.

He flung one axe with enough force to pin the unfortunate target to the side of a warehouse, then grabbed another faunus's head and crushed it. Blood, brains, and pulped skull oozed out between his fingers before he flung the corpse at a group of White Fang stupid enough to try and charge him. He heard the sounds of rifle safeties being clicked off, and Hazel turned to see a group of five terrorists with their weapons leveled at him and ready to fire. He took a step towards them-

Then stopped as a hammer slammed into the shoulder of one, snapping the bone beneath with a _crack_ as the hammer's wielder fell upon the White Fang soldiers. The wicked edge of an axe blade flashed as Jaune lopped off the arm of another Fang member, then crushed the rib cage of a third with his hammer. The fourth and fifth tried to run, but the young unblooded wasn't letting them escape. He hacked into the back of one with his axe and punctured the skull of the other with the spike on the end of his hammer. He pulled both weapons free as the bodies fell to the ground.

Jaune looked at Hazel. There was a feral gleam in his eyes and his teeth were stained red, indicating that he had resorted to biting someone at some point. His blonde hair was dripping with blood, as was his cloak. His leather armor was also coated in blood with bits of brains and offal clinging to it. He had clearly been carving his way through the White Fang with abandon.

Hazel couldn't have felt more proud. _"I made a good choice with this one."_

Hazel turned as the sound of boots pounding on the ground caught his ear, and dozens of White Fang soldiers rounded the corner and ran right at Jaune and Hazel. The Vampire Lord looked at his apprentice. "Think you can keep up?"

Jaune laughed, that feral gleam in his eyes growing brighter. "Can you, old man?"

Hazel chuckled for the first time in years as the two walked side by side towards the fast approaching foes. "Let me show you what a Vampire Lord can do, what _you_ will be able to do one day."

* * *

Jaune watched as Hazel disappeared. There was no other way to describe it. One minute the massive Strigoi was walking beside him, and the next he was gone. The Vampire Lord reappeared in the middle of the small horde of White Fang and began laying waste to them, his twin axes carving a bloody swathe through them as they screamed in panic from his sudden appearance. Distracted by the terrifying sight of Hazel none of them were prepared when Jaune rushed into the midst of them, his axe carving a bloody swathe through them as his hammer shattered bone.

"You see Jaune?!" shouted Hazel over the sounds of battle as he hacked a faunus's head off his shoulders. " _This_ is the power you can have as one of us, as my apprentice! To become Strigoi is to become powerful!" The large Vampire slammed his boot against the head of a faunus with enough force to crack his neck. Twin axes flashed as another faunus's arms came off, quickly followed by his head.

As Jaune smashed and hacked through the White Fang his lips peeled back in a snarl as his fury, hate, and blood lust overwhelmed everything else. He roared as he crunched a man's skull under his boot and split the head of another wide open before smashing the knee of a third. All the while Hazel and Puriu's words ran through his head.

 _"I will never be weak again_ _,"_ he swore to himself as he slaughtered the White Fang like the animals they were. _"I will become strong, and I will never lose anyone I care about again."_

Under the light of a shattered moon and stained red with the blood of his foes, the soul of Jaune Arc the huntsman finally disappeared, and was fully replaced with the malice of Jaune Arc the Unblooded.

* * *

He wasn't sure when, but at some point in the battle Jaune had lost his weapons.

He wasn't particularly concerned as he was sure he could find them later, and it wasn't like he needed them at the moment.

As he choked the life out of the feebly struggling White Fang soldier underneath him Jaune looked around at the carnage surrounding him. Where he and Hazel had tag teamed a few dozen White Fang soldiers there was now a small pile of corpses. Similar scenes dotted the camp here and there, and he was sure there were more he couldn't see. Though there had been only five hundred Strigoi who had assaulted the base it had been more than enough to slaughter the entire base personnel, which according to Gri had been something like two thousand people.

When the man beneath him fell limp Jaune released the body and stood up. It had been a good night all told. He'd proven that he was worthy of being blooded, and punished those responsible for the attack on Beacon. As a pair of slender arms wrapped around his neck, Jaune was reminded of another reason why it had been a good night.

"Did we have fun?" crooned Puriu as she ran a finger through his matted and bloody hair.

He smiled and gripped her other hand. "Yeah, I did. You?"

She laughed, an angelic sound that was at odds with the all the death surrouding them. "I did. Faunus blood isn't my favorite, but it's certainly better than straight animal blood. Also," she tucked something into his belt, "you left these buried in the back of some poor terrorist. I thought you might want them back."

Jaune smiled and patted his weapons. "Thanks. So... how do you think I did?"

Puriu kissed his cheek, sending a thrill through his body. "How did you do? Jaune, never in the history of our kind has someone taken to our way of life so quickly. You were _magnificent_. Hazel was right about you. You'll be a truly powerful Strigoi." Puriu reached a hand around and cupped him somewhere... _personal_.

Jaune leaped almost a foot into the air. "W-what?"

The Vampiress chuckled and gently grazed his ear with her fangs. "I know I said to come find me in my tent after the battle, but we're both covered in blood and other filth. I know of a stream nearby. Why don't you and I go and... clean up? Afterwards we can get even _dirtier._ "

Jaune liked that suggestion. He liked it a lot.

* * *

 **Now THAT was a doozy of a chapter!**

 **I'm sure I'll be catching hell for my opinion on Jaune's feelings for Pyrrha, but here me out.**

 **I don't think Jaune's feelings for Pyrrha ever really got a chance to go from friendly to more romantic before she died. I'm not saying it couldn't have happened, but it just didn't get a chance to. You have to remember that for all of volume 1 and a good chunk of Volume 2 Jaune had a big crush on Weiss, and something like that doesn't go away overnight. None of Jaune's actions towards Pyrrha really indicate that he has romantic feelings for her. Yes when they talked behind the cafeteria he held her hand, but that was more because he was showing that he was there to support her rather than anything romantic. I have female friends whose hands I've held when they were going through something rough, and both they and I knew it wasn't anything more than giving someone comfort when they needed it.**

 **Him suddenly kissing Puriu is something else that people probably won't be fans of, but again here me out. Puriu is an attractive woman who's been there for him through a lot, and been _veeeery_ touchy feely with him. You have to also remember that the moment he kissed her was an emotional and adrenaline fueled one. He had just killed his first person, and it was someone who looked like Pyrrha. With his emotions up and his adrenaline flowing he would be more aware than ever of her hands and lips on him.**

 **I know there are other things too but I've gotta edit and post this as fast as possible for all of you, so I'll address other concerns in the AN at the beginning of next chapter.**

 **If you liked this chapter then feel free to follow and favorite if you haven't already. If you have a friend who likes RWBY or RWBY fanfics then please tell them about this story! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to tell me what you think of the story so far, then feel free to leave a review or PM me! I love you all. BYYYYYYEEEEE!**

 **Want to send a buck or two my way? Here's a link to my P a treon: https:(slash)(slash) .com(slash)user?u=4652041**


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